ASI suspended for not filing chargesheet against ex-councillor

Tarsem Singh Deogan,
Ludhiana

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Updated: May 21, 2013 09:25 IST

With the intention of benefitting former councillor Rakesh Sharma, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Avtar Singh has to face the music for not filing a chargesheet in a criminal case for more than two years.

The ASI, who was allegedly hand in glove with the councillor, kept on distracting his superiors and the complainant by saying that he has submitted the chargesheet in the court.

With his lies coming to the light, the Ludhiana police commissionerate suspended him and ordered a departmental inquiry against him. Singh has been sent to police lines from Basti Jodhewal police station, where he was deputed.

On the one hand, complainant Naresh Uppal hailed the action taken against the ASI, on the other hand, he expressed his annoyance over the delay in taking action and nexus between police officials and the accused.

The accused Rakesh Kumar, a former councillor from ward number 3, was booked on April 16, 2011, under sections 342, 356, 379, 506 and 323 of the IPC.

Uppal, who works as a scribe with a vernacular daily, said he had gone to talk to the family of a 12-year-old rape victim at the Basti Jodhewal area. Kumar, who was standing from the side of the rape accused, was allegedly pressurising the victim's family for a compromise. On seeing him, the councillor flared up and allegedly attacked him.

Uppal also alleged that the accused assaulted him and had snatched his camera and purse after confining him in a room. Later, fellow scribes and police rescued him. He had filed a criminal case against Kumar in this context.

“I came come to know about the deed of the ASI when I approached the court to know about the status of the case around three months ago. I was shocked when I was informed that the police had not filed any chargesheet in the case yet, while the chargesheet in the rape case which was filed on the same day, was submitted in time,” Uppal added.

“I had run from pillar to post in this regard. The ASI had kept on saying, even to his superiors, that he had filed the chargesheet in this context. When I approached police commissioner Ishwar Singh, he marked an inquiry to ADCP city-4 NK Sharma, who filed an inquiry report against the ASI. Following that, the police commissioner suspended the ASI,” he added.